LANSING, Mich — Gun violence - an issue that continues to plague the streets of Lansing and Michael Lynn Junior said he knows the ins and outs of it, stemming from what he calls a troubling past.
“When we think about 15, 16 year olds carrying guns, I was a 15 and 16 year old a carrying gun,” Lynn said.
But a lot has changed since then. Today, Lynn serves as the CEO of the Lansing Empowerment Network.
“Lansing Empower Network is an organization, rooted in trying to figure out the causes in gun violence and work to combat it,” Lynn said.
The initiative has been in place for a little more than a year now. It's a collaborative effort, allowing neighbors, advocates, police, and city officials to come together for weekly meetings.
“Bring all those folks in the room, and hear what everyone is doing about gun violence so we have a good eye on what's happening in the community,” Lynn said.
Doing this work, Lynn is able to be up close to the problem. So, we wanted to ask him about some statistics we got from the Lansing Police Department.
According to police, there's been 8 gun deaths so far this year, which is down from the 9 gun deaths in 2023 . When it comes to non fatal shootings, police say there's been 55 in 2024, which is down from the 64 last year.
“I mean those statistics are how we gauge, but I don't just look at the number,” Lynn said.
Looking deeper into the problem for Lynn means focusing on a person's intent before the shooting and brainstorming ways to change it.
“I'm looking at the whole totality number going down, meaning we have less people use a firearm in response to a confrontation,” he said.
These are things Lynn said the group discusses during the Empowerment meetings and with the city recently allocating $125,000 toward the initiative Lynn said he's confident it will make a difference.
Click here to find out more information about the Lansing Empowerment Network.
